efi vs carburated

[06outback]

Which do you prefer. Pros and cons of each. I am looking at buying a boat and would think injected would be the way to go but would like some opinions on the matter.

[sandm]

assuming you have a choice in the matter, this must mean that you are looking at a newer f.i. boat vs older carb'ed model. my personal choice would be injected. carbs are cheaper to replace and no real electrical parts to go wrong, but injected should give you better fuel economy and run more consistently in a wider variety of conditions(weather/altitude/temps/etc..)

there's a reason why you can't buy a carb'ed new car and almost all the new boats are injected..

[06outback]

I am looking at an 05 outback that is carb. I thought when I went to look at it that it would be injected being an 05 model. The boat is in great shape and the price is right.

[kaneboats]

I had a carbed 2000 O/B LS. It ran perfectly all the time with no issues. I would not be a bit afraid of carbed but there are advantages to FI.

[sandm]

ya, if the price is right, I would jump on it. given a choice between the 2, i'd take FI every time, but if the best deal is a carb'ed model, I would not hesitate..

gl..

[zegm]

I had a 600CFM Holley on my old MC for over 20 years. Besided needing some tweaking every now and then it was good to go. The only real issue I had with it was when it was cold, it needed a few minutes to warm up but after that it was fine. As far as fuel economy goes my new EFI boat sucks more gas than that old boat did but it weights about 1000lbs more. In other words I don't believe you would notice that much of a difference depending on what ballast and all you are planning on using.

[06outback]

I am looking at about $4500-$5500 more for the boats that are injected in my area at the moment.

[cab13367]

Which do you prefer. Pros and cons of each. I am looking at buying a boat and would think injected would be the way to go but would like some opinions on the matter.

I don't know of any cons to FI. Pros are more fuel efficient, slightly more power (325 vs 310), and starts and runs perfectly every time, cold or warm.

I owned a carbureted boat for 15 years before buying my current FI boat. The old boat ran fine until I swapped in a 4-barrel for the 2-barrel and I always had starting and running problems after that. I would flood the engine half the time at the ramp trying to start it, had some hesitation problems on acceleration, and would sometimes die going into neutral from forward and would not restart. I took it in to several mechanics and no one could ever figure out how to make it start and run reliably despite trying different size metering rods and jets, adjusting the float level, rebuilding it a couple times, etc.

Having said that, I know many people have had great luck with carb engines so I think my experience is in the minority but when it came time to buy a new boat, FI was a must have for me. In 4 years with my FI boat, it never fails to start within half a second of turning the key, whether the first start of the season or the 25th time of the day and it runs smooth from idle to redline.

And as you have discovered, the resale on an FI boat is much better than a carbureted one.

Finally, I think 2007 is the year that all SC engine offerings were FI so you will find carbureted boats all the way thru 2006.

Al

[sandm]

my guess is that you aren't paying $5k more just for efi, but getting a newer boat.

fwiw, mine is an august '05 build and has efi, but has the extcat340, so I would guess that moomba might have had efi's in that same year on some models, just not all?

[Ian Brantford]

my guess is that you aren't paying $5k more just for efi, but getting a newer boat.

fwiw, mine is an august '05 build and has efi, but has the extcat340, so I would guess that moomba might have had efi's in that same year on some models, just not all?

In 2005, the engine choices were a 310 HP carb, a 325 TBI and a 340 MPI. I recall an engine upgrade price of $1200, but I cannot remember if that was 310->340 or 325->340.

[JesseC]

Which do you prefer. Pros and cons of each. I am looking at buying a boat and would think injected would be the way to go but would like some opinions on the matter.

Oh lord, here comes that can of worms again. Where are you located?

When I bought my 02 LSV I had to search for a few months to find a carb model. I personally did not want an EFI boat. The boat sits a lot and only get seasonal use so things tend to rust and deteriorate much quicker than a daily driver. With the Carb, Fuel pump and a distributor there is not much to go wrong and when it does, it is relativly easy and cheap to repair. No computer, no O2 sensors and no injectors to go bad. Does it get worse fuel mileage, of course, but it is a boat that I am going to load with 1600 lbs of ballast, what fuel mileage???? Also on the power ratings, 310hp vs 325hp/340hp, with the right prop you will not really notice the difference. If there was a 100hp+ difference, then I would worry about it. I have never had an issue with my boat and wish I could have the option of buying a 2011 with a carb still. I may be one of the few, but I have really enjoyed this setup. There is absolutely nothing wrong with EFI, I just prefer it it my car and not my boat....again no negatives towards EFI, just not my preference. Every year my boat has started with every turn of the key and always starts with just a few spins at the beginning of the summer after coming out of hibernation.

[06outback]

I am in TX. I think I am going to go ahead with the carburated outback I found. I drove a Pro Air Nautique but ended up not liking it very much at all.

[moombadaze]

We have a old family friend with a 1980 carbed boat and last I heard the carb was working just fine. Take care of it and it should last a lifetime.